2017 has been a year of extremes in many ways and my list of best films from the year is no different. Three first time filmmakers made the list with impressive debuts. Several established directors cemented their places in the ranks of the greats with career highs. Here is the list of the best films of 2017.
- Phantom Thread - Themes of perfection and control are beautifully rendered by two creatives known for their strives for flawlessness. Daniel Day-Lewis is incredible but the movie is owned by newcomer Vicky Krieps. Paul Thomas Anderson wrote, directed and even shot the film and he revisits some of the themes of Punch Drunk Love but there is more here. This is a film that lives in your mind weeks after seeing it, asking you to dissect its themes and images. The film is a tonal masterpiece as it shifts constantly as these two lovers come together and go apart only to land on a final image that will be analyzed and argued over.
- Baby Driver - Edgar Wright destroys the established ideas of what a musical and what a car heist film can be. He giddily rebels to create something so unique that I imagine it will be influencing filmmakers for years to come. This feels like the film he has been working up to his whole career and every frame, beat and song here feels toiled over with furious passion.
- Get Out - The most relevant and important film of 2017. Jordan Peele's social horror film is a provocative look at race that flips the "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" setup. Full of striking images and a fantastic lead performance from Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out was my favorite film to discuss this year. What this film means for horror and social satire is yet to be seen but it makes me very excited.
- The Florida Project - Sean Baker makes stories about people who are often not represented in films. The title refers to the working title used when Disney World was being built and the way in which this film explores the cultural and economical rift that occurs on the outer ring of the "Happiest Place on Earth" is nothing short of heartbreaking. At the center is Brooklyn Prince who infuriates as much as she charms. The film's final scene is a doozy of filmic poetry.
- Dunkirk - Christopher Nolan's most technically impressive film puts you in the action of war like no other film has done before. I don't remember breathing for the film's entire lean running time. The film lives in chaos but what controlled, epic chaos. Nolan never shows us the face of the enemy, only the faces of the fearful yet brave men who faced impossible odds.
- The Shape of Water - Guillermo del Toro's latest is a sumptuous, passionate film that ranks among his best work. An unexpected love story draws together a motley crew of oppressed people who rise up in the name of love. The film is jaw droppingly beautiful.
- Raw - Julia Ducournau makes one of the most striking debut films ever with this tale of sisters at vet school dealing with their hidden hungers. The film could be written off as a cannibalism tale but the two lead performances and Ducournau's strong direction shift this into a thoughtful piece on becoming an adult.
- Blade Runner 2049 - This is pretty much everything we could have wanted from a sequel to an arguable cult classic. I want to live inside Roger Deakins images here. The film is more than just stunning imagery though. Villeneuve explores the themes of Ridley Scott's original film but in deeper, more rewarding ways. The question is no longer if someone is a human or not but what does a human even look like against the artificial.
- Mother! - The most punk movie of 2017. This film is destined to be regarded as one of Darren Aronosky's masterpieces. Time will tell but it certainly seemed like audiences weren't ready for this thanks in part to the strange way it was marketed. For me, the film is scary, tense, perversely funny and all together exhausting in the best way possible. This was one of my favorite films to discuss because it seemed like everyone saw something different in it.
- Lady Bird - Greta Gerwig's coming of age story hit all the marks. mainly because it feels so damn authentic. So many of these types of films feature versions of teens we wish we were, call it the Ferris Bueller effect. Lady Bird is so different because it's central character, brought wonderfully to life by Saoirse Ronan, is allowed to be the teenager we really were. She's messy in a way that very seldom is seen. This touch of authenticity extends to every supporting character as well.
Other great films from 2017:
- Okja
- Call Me By Your Name
- Hounds of Love
- The Disaster Artist
- The Big Sick
- Mudbound
- Good Time
- A Ghost Story
- War for the Planet of the Apes
- Nocturama
- Molly's Game
- I, Tonya
- The Post
- Dave Made a Maze
- The Beguiled
- Colossal
- John Wick: Chapter 2
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